Dear Democratic Elite: Back Off
29 March 2008 8:00 am by Taylor Marsh
Dear Democratic Elite: Back Off
cross-posted at Huffington
Post
This little missive is directed at Senator Leahy and the other elite Democratic
party officials, including Speaker Pelosi, whom I have supported unflinchingly
throughout her tenure, as well as the elite progressives, who are suggesting
Hillary Clinton drop out of the race. This goes for the mighty superdelegates
who think they should weigh in before the rest of the primary votes are counted,
as well. I don’t expect you to understand this or even like it, but you’d better
take it to heart, or you’re going to be responsible for handing the presidency
to John McCain.
If you continue to try to push Hillary Clinton out of the primary race before
a clear winner emerges, you’re going to accomplish one of two things, neither
of which have anything to do with your actual goal. Taking myself out of this
equation entirely, if the Obama elite keep pushing their agenda here’s what
you’ll get:
1. Clinton supporters will harden further against voting for Obama if he
becomes the nominee. (Hillary fans are already
close to this, so don’t push them any further, because you can’t win in
November without them, especially after Obama’s Rev. Wright pastor disaster,
which is already causing
problems in the larger electorate.)2. Clinton supporters will protest your overbearing and undemocratic interventionism
by casting a protest vote for John McCain. (Lunch bucket and Reagan Dems
don’t trust McCain on the economy, but Clinton’s their man in this race, because
they believe she’s the one who can get us out of this economic mess, but they
hate elitist political snobs even more, so voting for a heroic veteran like
McCain won’t be that hard for them, especially if these same people took their
vote away, too.)
I’m not even going to get into all the bellyaching coming from the Obama contingent
about the alleged negative campaigning. As if McCain and the Republicans can’t
figure out how to run negative ads without the main Democratic challenger of
Obama pointing out what gifts he’s given to Republicans starting with Rev. Wright.
It’s true that Democratic primary voters don’t care about Wright. But they’re
not your general election voter. Already, Rev.
Wright has cost Democrats my home state of Missouri.
Few people know the mood of Clinton supporters better than myself. I’ve been
talking to these die hard Clinton supporters for months and months. I’ve got
stacks of emails on which to base this post and others I’ve written on the subject,
which foreshadow dangers coming in November on the Democratic side (see
here, here
and here
for starters). Many Clinton supporters started out willing to accept Obama,
though that was before Rev. Wright’s greatest hatred hits, as well as Obama’s
unwillingness to explain how he sat in a church for 20 years without walking
out. Obama taking
Clinton voters for granted didn’t help. His appearance on
“The View” didn’t do it either, by the way. Read Tapper’s column,
which catches Obama in what may be an unending unwinding of details
that don’t add up. It’s also not very impressive when Obama finally says
he would have left the church, but only after Hillary Clinton led the way days
earlier by saying the same thing. Playing follow the leader, with Clinton the
leader, doesn’t help.
Also, the Obama team needs to understand that there isn’t a Clinton supporter
who doesn’t know the uphill fight she faces to the nomination. That’s especially
true since Obama won’t let
Michigan and Florida votes be counted. It’s not a minor fact that legitimacy
for the eventual nominee depends on counting Florida and Michigan before, not
after, the fact, because Democrats are either for counting all of the votes
or we’re not. This one isn’t multiple choice.
Right now, nobody has enough votes to claim the nomination. That’s just a fact.
Read Marc Ambinder’s piece if you want to know just
how close this race really is.
But as sure as Democrats know all about “snatching defeat from the jaws
of victory,” if you Obama elites keep trying to push Clinton out of this
primary race you’re going to end up with a much bigger problem. Clinton’s voters
will dig themselves in and protest your undemocratic actions by either staying
home or voting for John McCain.
But listen to Chuck Todd, if an in your face Show Me State former “give ‘em
hell” Truman Missourian like me isn’t good enough for you:
Ultimately, the Wright issue will never be fully behind him. He will have
to address the issue again at some point because race is like catnip to the
media, as well as to the public at large. As a society, we can’t help but
examine the issue any chance we get. For the press it is like a car crash
story: We hate to report it, but we always do.Moreover, I would argue the Wright story turned off enough older white voters
so that Obama can no longer argue that when compared with Clinton he will
expand the electoral map in a general election with McCain. … ..… .. The party ought to lay off the calls for Clinton to drop out, at
least for now, because her presence at worst is making Obama a better candidate.
… ..
It’s also time to ask yourselves why Senator Obama, if he’s such a uniter,
has a good portion of Clinton voters refusing to vote for him. That’s not a
sign he can even unite the Democratic party, let alone the entire nation.
But if your guy wins fair and square, Clinton supporters are likely to swallow
their pride and eventually join the fight against John McCain, who simply cannot
be allowed to win in November, as far as I’m concerned. But if people keep trying
to push Clinton out before the votes are counted, you’re going to lose more
than Clinton votes in November, and you’re also going to hand the presidency
to John McCain.
Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
